


Always By Your Side

by Gemology



Series: It's just magic, okay? [2]
Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Best Friends, Comfort, Comfort/Angst, Ducks, Episode: s01e23 The Shadow War!, F/F, Family, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Issues, Family Secrets, Female Friendship, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Magic, Magic Mirrors, Magic-Users, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mirror Universe, Mirrors, Reunion, Reunions, Shadow Realm, Shadows - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-30 03:08:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15742938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gemology/pseuds/Gemology
Summary: Webby has a lot of questions for Lena.





	Always By Your Side

Having Lena back made Webby incredibly happy. It had only been a few weeks since Lena had first contacted her, but the two settled into routines that would keep them together. More so Webby than Lena, since the shadow was connected to her and Lena couldn't really go anywhere since she no longer had a body.

Lena had also discovered she had the ability to inhabit mirrors, in place of Webby's reflection, but with her own autonomy. It made it easier for them to talk and spend time together. Although there were times when Webby had to remind her to step aside (or whatever it was she did) when she was getting ready, so she could actually get a look at herself. But it was always nice to see her, all the same.

They could go on walks together as long as the sun was out. Lena jokingly warned Webby that she should stop talking to her shadow or people were going to think she was crazy. She certainly hadn't lost her snark.

Webby even started to sleep with a lamp on, so she would always cast a shadow and Lena would always been nearby. The two would talk for hours into the night, until Webby finally drifted off to sleep. When morning came and swallowed up the shadows in her room, Webby could look over at the mirror she'd set up and know her friend was still there.

But there had been some things said in the battle with Magica De Spell that were troubling Webby. Now that Lena was here to stay, she could actually get some answers.

"So you were Magica's shadow all along?" Webby laid on her bed and stared up at the ceiling.

Lena didn't answer for several moments, and when Webby looked over to the mirror she saw her friend sitting with her legs curled against her chest, staring at her shoes. "Yeah, I was. I don't know why Magica made me in the first place. Maybe she didn't think she could fool the Scrooge on her own, so she invented some kind of imaginary family member to do her bidding."

"But  _you_  called her Aunt Magica. She was never really your aunt. Why did you do that?" Webby asked another question that had been gnawing at the back of her mind.

Her friend sighed. "I don't know that either. At some point it's what Magica  _asked_  me to call her, and back then I was still obeying her every order. It became natural, even after I started figuring out I could make my own choices. Even when she kept trying to control me. Something about it felt right, for some reason. I guess, along with wanting freedom, I didn't want to be alone. Magica was the only person I had for a long, long time. No friends, no family."

"So Magica De Spell doesn't have any other relatives?" the younger of the two mused thoughtfully.

"Not that she ever mentioned to me," Lena replied. "It's funny, even though I was her shadow, I don't have any of her memories. I don't even know what her feud with Scrooge was about. It probably wasn't important since I just needed to carry out her bidding until the eclipse."

Something dawned on Webby as she listened to Lena's tale. "You said you wanted to be free. I believed you were a real person, but you knew all along that you weren't. How could you want to be free if you were just supposed to be a puppet?"

"Around the 10 year mark, I kind of developed a mind of my own. Magica was still pretty weak, so controlling me started to take too big of a toll. So she made me an offer. I pledge my loyalty to her, and once she obtained Scrooge's number one dime, she'd use her magic to make me real. Kind of like a Pinocchio situation," Lena explained.

"I wonder why Magica decided to create you in this particular form. I mean, how was a teenager going to be able to get to Scrooge?" Webby giggled. "Without me, you wouldn't have made it into the mansion.

"Huh." Lena stared blankly forward, not in Webby's direction but at something inside the mirror that Webby couldn't see. But whatever she was looking at or thinking about seemed to pass. She turned to her friend. "Maybe that's why it took 15 years. Magica didn't have a lot of time to cast her spell before Scrooge sucked her into the dime. She might not have thought her plan all the way through."

"Still, a teenager? I mean, I love you Lena, but another adult would have had a better chance, don't you think?" Webby said thoughtfully.

"Maybe she didn't have enough magic? I don't know." Lena shrugged. "Like I said, I don't have her memories."

Webby's eyes lit up. "But maybe someone else does!"

The other duck looked shocked. "What? Who?"

"Well, not exactly her memories. I've been following the history of the McDuck lineage for a long time. I bet I could trace your family tree!" the young duckling chattered excitedly.

"I don't have a family tree, remember?" Lena remarked.

"Oh, right. But Magica De Spell has to! Just because she didn't mention relatives doesn't mean she never had any. Even ancient sorceresses have to be born." Webby said, matter-of-factly.

"Even if there  _are_  other De Spell's, none of them will know who I am. And besides, you won't be able to contact them. There's that whole blood feud thing going on?" Lena pointed out.

"But I'm not a McDuck! I'm a Vanderquack!" she pointed out.

"I guess that's true," the older duckling didn't sound convinced.

"Great! Then I'll get to work tomorrow. And if there's anything you can recall about Magica's past or any other historic facts she might have mentioned aside from the blood feud, let me know. I'm going to try to get some sleep," Webby turned on her flashlight before turning out the bedroom light. "Goodnight, Lena. Sweet dreams."

As many times as Webby had said that phrase, Lena didn't have the heart to tell her that in this state, she didn't, and couldn't, sleep. All she could do was watch over Webby and be alone with her thoughts.

She knew there was nothing she could do or say to dissuade Webby from digging into her- well, Magica's- history. Magica De Spell had never mentioned any other kin, and Lena had never asked. Finding out about Magica's past wasn't important to retrieving the dime. It might be nice to find out more about her fake aunt and even faker family, but while Webby was full of excitement, Lena was full of dread. She didn't know why, but something deep down inside told her she didn't want to know what Webby would find.


End file.
